PSO Certified Experts

Jason Hall and CMYKit are the first Australian PSO Certified Experts offering direct business consultation, integration and training services.

We are able to deliver proven results because of our extensive experience in both digital and analogue printing technologies. Contact Us

What is Ugra PSO?

The letters PSO stand for Process Standard Offset. PSO is a collection of several ISO standards, covering aspects of quality assurance, inks, viewing conditions, data management, proofing and print production. It is the highest recognition of printing to international colour standards. Ugra the Swiss based ISO colour certifying organisation, has designed a system to facilitate easier management of operational processes.

GASAA is the exclusive audit body in the Australia and New Zealand region working with Ugra to certify print companies ensuring that they meet the collection of ISO standards contained within the Ugra PSO certification.

Introducing PSO means productivity and quality levels increase, whilst the numbers of complaints decrease. Ugra PSO certification involves defining the quality management system through written work procedures. Getting to grip with these mean that each and every member of staff progressively understands the entire reproduction chain. The working atmosphere is also much improved because staff communicate far more clearly with each other. The objective of the certification is to enhance operational processes, while boosting efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Ugra PSO is your ultimate proof, that proof and print match. Your clients can be assured you meet the world’s best practice in colour and repeatedly match proof to print.

GASAA has appointed CMYKit Pty. Ltd. as a Premier Approved Colour Consultancy (PACC) in accordance with the association’s stringent PACC criteria.CMYKit provides professional colour consulting advice and implementation services independent of hardware and software.

This level of separation is an important factor in GASAA conferring PACC status to CMYKit. In this way CMYKit will work with your existing set-up wherever possible – more often than not, saving you thousands of dollars in upgrade costs.
Through GASAA and the Premier Approved Colour Consultancy Program you can be assured when you start your journey of reaching international colour certification the focus will be on print results rather than the newest software/devices on the market.

The Process of Certification of Printing Companies according to PSO.

During the independent on site audit conducted by GASAA key personnel are assessed as to their understanding of the PSO process and the need for colour controls. Procedures to handle non-conformity are stringently reviewed. Know-how in colour management, layout production and PDF creation is required. The implementation work of CMYKit colour consultants to insures that the devices are calibrated, the standard operation procedures (SOP) are available and followed and the aim values are reached within the given tolerances:

The following functions of the workflow are part of the audit:

1. Organization and Documentation

2. Data reception

3. Data creation

4. Display / Soft proofing

5. Proofing

6. Plate creation

7. Printing

8. Standard Illumination for visual colour assessment

1. Documentation and organization

The audit addresses the process organization of the company ensuring the
quality management and ISO standards are implemented completely and how the conversion from theory into practice is taking place. To fulfil the ambition for standardized workflows the company has to establish written procedures (Standard Operation Procedure SOP) for all steps in the workflow and applies them consequently, the company has clear guidelines, aim values and tolerances and is therefore able to react very professionally on appearing deviations in the production workflow. The tools for the control of the quality of the orders are known and in place. The communication within the company and to the customers is controlled.

2. Data reception

The data reception is examined in the audit. In the audit it is clarified, if the sales force,
the costumer relation managers and the prepress employees know, what data exchange
is, if the company has a strategy in the data acquisition and if it is documented and
organized accordingly

3. Data creation

With the data creation the prepress department must show that it can deal with digital data, has knowledge about colour management, layout creation and PDF/X creation.

4. Display / Soft proof

The soft proof display must be set up in a favourable environment, the display must be calibrated. As per ISO standards 3664 and ISO 12646.

5. Proof production

The proof has to be produced within the guidelines of ISO 12647-7. The colours are measured at the Media Wedge. The used measuring devices must be maintained. The proof is examined visually as well. The criteria resolution, evenness, gloss, overprinting, vignettes and colour are all evaluated.

6. Plate production

No ISO standard does specify any nominal values for the plate exposure. Therefore not the measured values are judged, but how the quality control is accomplished. The PDF-X output test form is outputted, in order to examine the RIP adjustments. The
operation has to be documented and organized.

7. Printing

The printing has to be done according to modern methods and the colour values have to Fulfil ISO 12647. A scanning measuring device has to be used. The measuring devices
must be maintained. Standard inks according to ISO 2846 have to be used. The
dampening solution has to be controlled. The blankets have to standardized. The print
is compared visually to the proof. The criteria colour, gradation, highlighted details,
image definition in the shadows, resolution, smoothness and gloss are judged. The
cleanness around and in the press must be at a good level.

8. Illumination for visual colour assessment

The illumination for colour assessments for proofs and prints must meet the values
of ISO 3664.

PSO-Certification: is the talk of the industry!

Five managers from printing companies awarded an Ugra PSO certificate were asked about their experiences to date. In short, their answers revealed the following:

PSO has a positive effect on all walks of printing life.

PSO turned out to be much more straight forward than anticipated.

Certification has very much improved communication within the company for the better.

Communication with the customer has also become much more precise.

Staff motivation has increased.

The amount of waste materials (misprints) has been reduced.

Profits have risen.

Every single printing company would go through PSO certification again.

“Doing the groundwork before certification not only improves printing quality but also affords an insight into operational processes, a leap forward in communications, improved staff motivation, and, last but not least, an upturn in profitability”. “A PSO system like this is just something you’ve simply got to have” says one printing company manager, summing the situation up after introducing the PSO system.
“Ugra is certain that with the Ugra PSO certification it has designed a valuable tool for the graphic arts industry”.